I had also an incredible dolphin and seal lion colony viewing.  The captain lets you create the experience you want.  If it’s more about having a relaxing day with a gourmet lunch provided by captain Thao (I got the sushi deluxe omacase from an amazing famous sushi chef he provided out of his own pocket just to make the day as convenient and wonderful as he can.  So don’t worry about drinks or packing a lunch.  Bring binoculars.  All gear even life vests provided.

He gives clear instructions for safety before boat starts moving throughout the trip and explains everything clearly and slowly so the next cast you are already catching live bait herring!

In 30 minutes we got the herring swimming in a barrel, enough to catch 15 flounder (3 out of mine were record sized!) and a medium sized cod.

But the cod was the size of my leg!  And just as wide!

He lets you do everything hands on and catch after a brief show and tell,

It makes for an efficient, smooth day for maximum time having your line in the water to give yourself the most exposure of your baited lines to catch your dream fish of the day!

Afterwards, he takes photos of you with your fish and next day forwards you images to show and post on your instagram, etc.

100/100 experience. 

The best part was, despite the lack of ideal conditions for fishing, we triumphed where no one else did!  Because he knows the secret spots where most of species lies, whatever kind of fish is biting that day.

He is a fun, sassy, cut to the chase, let’s get our lines and get fishing captain.  He takes fishing seriously and guarantees catching not only fish when no one else even gets bites, but also the maximum you can take home!  Unbelievable!

I ended up with a refrigerator stuffed full of fish.  I made instant friends in my neighborhood

Everybody fish tacos and fried cod!

Don’t bother with anybody else.  He is INSANE.  Thao is The Fisherman

The G O A T (greatest of all time).

It’s only with him are you gonna hit the jackpot EVERY TIME.

He’s a tiger woods, Shaw Attack on the water.

We even had to leave our fishing spot after we caught the cod because we got jealous frustrated glances and wonderment from two other boatload of people adjacent to us, all hoping to hook a cod.

And we caught my cod of great size within the first 3 casts (in less than 10 minutes)!

I never fished on a boat before!!!

Unreal!

Because of decades of experience fishing, he truly and the feeding and hiding patterns of the fish.

He let me enjoy the dolphins as much as I liked and the sea lions, too. (About 1 hr each)

But that’s what I wanted.  He wants to customize your experience.

He always asks what you want to do and when to shift gears to whatever catch you want most and when to take lunch, use the restroom.

It’s a 3 Michelin star picnic combined with a 5 star truly customized VIP service luxury sporting fishing trip.

Posh and clean was his boat with the latest and quite expensive gear.  Including fish finding sonar that looked like it could find a needle in a haystack.  It was cool watching the screen seeing where the fish were and told us exactly what depth to cast.

We only put our lines out when Thao knew it was guaranteed action, he always quickly left a dry spot with no hope of catching anything.

He has in his head numerous options to find the fish.  I wouldn’t be surprised if he knew in his mind like a topographical map the layout of the Puget.

We had an unforgettable day with Captain Thao! Our group of 6 were mostly first-time fishers, but thanks to Thao’s guidance and patience, we were able to catch a bunch of fish. We caught lingcod, rockfish, and even salmon — although some had to be released because they were out of season.

Captain Thao was friendly, knowledgeable, and made the whole experience fun and exciting for everyone. Highly recommend for both beginners and experienced fishers alike!

Thao at Seattle Nautic is simply the best charter captain I’ve come across, and I’ve fished a lot of different places. He puts in the work to make sure you’re actually catching fish — not just floating around hoping for the best. His knowledge of the water is clear, his coaching is genuinely helpful, and his enthusiasm for the day is contagious. If you want a great experience on Puget Sound, book with Thao at Seattle Nautic. You won’t be disappointed.

I didn’t quite know what to expect from my first fishing experience - especially the 5am wake-up call, which is no small ask for a non-morning person. But I trusted my instincts, listened to my awesome colleagues and friends, and made the trip out. That decision turned into an unforgettable experience.

Captain Thao is warm, friendly, patient, and clearly an expert at his craft. Before we headed out, he walked us through exactly what to do and confidently told us that if we trusted the process and followed instructions, we’d each come back with a lingcod. He was right.

Beyond the fishing itself, what stood out was how enjoyable and well-run the entire experience was. The energy on the boat was great, the guidance was clear for first-timers like me, and Captain Thao made everyone feel comfortable and included throughout the trip.

He also brought along an incredible seafood spread that was honestly amazing and added even more to the experience.

For a first-time fisherman, I genuinely could not have asked for a better introduction. Highly recommend Captain Thao to both beginners and experienced anglers alike.